Johann Pachelbel

Johann Christoph Pachelbel (born Nuremberg (German:Nürnberg), baptized 1 September, 1653; died Nürnberg, buried 9 March, 1706) was a Germancomposer and organist. He is very famous for his organ music. He also wrote other keyboard music and music for the Protestantchurch. His Canon in D has become a very popular piece of music and is very often played today at church weddings and other events.

He was brought up in Nürnberg and had his first music lessons there. In 1669 he went to study at the university of Altdorf, but after a year he had to leave because his father could not afford to keep him. About a year later he went to study at the Gymnasium Poeticum in Regensburg. The directors of that school must have realized that he was an extremely talented musician, because they made an extra scholarship for him and allowed him to have special music lessons outside the school.

In 1673 he went to Vienna where he was deputy organist at St Stephen’s Church. He heard a lot more music there, especially the music of the catholic composers of South Germany and Italy. After a short while at Eisenach he got the job of organist at the Predigerkirche in Erfurt.